Electrical distribution and current collecting system for a vehicle traveling on a single track way

ABSTRACT

Electrical distribution and current collecting system for a vehicle traveling on a trackway having a single-track portion and means, such as end loops, for engaging the vehicle forwardly on said portion. A current collecting carriage cooperates with feed conductors disposed along said portion on one side thereof and coupling means arranged on both sides of said vehicle permit electrical and mechanical coupling to said carriage for both directions of traveling of said vehicle.

United States Patent Payen 1 1 Sept. 25, 1973 [5 ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTIONAND 881,531 3/1908 Baukat 191 49 CURRENT COLLECTING SYSTEM FOR A1,818,534 8/1931 Condon 191/49 VEHICLE TRAVELING ON A SINGLE 3,212):18/1931 Mapson 191/29 /1959 Mattox, Sr..... 191/49 TRACK WAY 3,509,2924/1970 Dehn 191 49 Inventor: Jean-Pol Payen, Grenoble, France MerlinGerin, Societe Ano nyme, Grenoble, France Filed: Oct. 6, 1970 Appl. No.:78,550

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 2, 1969 France 6941623 US. Cl191/49, 104/148 LM, 191/29 Int. Cl. B601 5/36 Field of Search 191/2, 29,45, 52,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1970 Cockerell 191/49 PrimaryExaminer-Gerald M1 Forlenza Assistant ExaminerRichard A. BertschAttorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller and Mosher [57] ABSTRACT Electricaldistribution and current collecting system for a vehicle traveling on atrackway having a single-track portion and means, such as end loops, forengaging the vehicle forwardly on said portion. A current collectingcarriage cooperates with feed conductors disposed along said portion onone side thereof and coupling means arranged on both sides of saidvehicle permit electrical and mechanical coupling to said carriage forboth directions of traveling of said vehicle.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEU SEPZSISTS SNEEI 201 2 FIG.4

ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION AND CURRENT COLLECTING SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLETRAVELING ON A SINGLE TRACK WAY The present invention relates to anelectrical distribution and current collecting system for a vehicletraveling on a single-track way and more particularly to atransportation system comprising a vehicle capable of moving at veryhigh speed, for instance several hundreds of miles per hour, on atrackway. The vehicle, which may be of the fluid cushion hovering typemay be propelled by an electric motor, in particular a linear motor onthe vehicle and which is fed by a current collecting device associatedwith a multiphase energizable conductor system extending parallel to thetrack of the vehicle.

On sections having limited traffic, a single track may be sufficient totake care of the trafiic, which means travel of the vehicles in bothdirections on this single track. While a reversal of the direction oftravel of the vehicle does not raise any problem at low speed of travel,it is, on the other hand, extremely difficult to design vehicles capableof moving in both directions of travel at high speed. This difficulty iseasily avoided by providing at the ends of the single track portionturning devices such as track loops or turntables which permit travel ofthe vehicle in forward direction on the singletrack portion.

In installations of the aforesaid type, the current feed conductorsystem extends laterally of the single-track, and it is easy tounderstand that said turning devices at the end of the path require thepresence of two feed conductor systems, one on each side of thesingle-track portion of the vehicle.

It is an object of the present invention to remedy this drawback and topermit a feeding of the vehicle in both directions of travel of thetrack from a single feed system.

Another object of the present invention is to permit a substantialsimplification of the infrastructures of the system.

The present invention is based on the discovery that the difficultiesimposed .by the reversing of the direction of travel may be overcome byusing a current collecting carriage of reduced dimensions which may bemade symmetrical so as to move in either direction in accordance with amovement in both directions along the path of the vehicle.

The current collecting carriage which cooperates with the feedconductors extending parallel to the path of the vehicle on one sidethereof is disconnected from the vehicle at the end of the single track.The vehicle continues its course on a turning track, being fedtemporarily by an auxiliary source of current, or being propelled by anydesired auxiliary device, in such a manner as to again engage forwardlyon the single track. In its starting position, the carriage, which wasabandoned at the end of the travel is again connected to the vehiclewhich it will normally feed for displacement in opposite direction alongthe said track. The feed conductor system being arranged laterally ofthe single-track of the vehicle, the latter is equipped laterally onboth sides with means for mechanical and electrical coupling of thecarriage so that said carriage can be coupled selectively to either sideof the vehicle, according to its direction of travel. The connectingsystem between the carriage and the vehicle is advantageously of therapid coupling type, for instance by simple plug-in connection orfitting with automatic interlock.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become evident fromthe following description of an embodiment of the invention, given byway of illustration only and shown in the accompanying drawing in whichFIG. 1 shows schematically a plan view of a portion of the single-trackand of a vehicle equipped with a collecting system in accordance withthe invention;

FIG. 2 is a section along the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a similar view, but on a smaller scale than FIG. 1,illustrating the end stations of the single track;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-section illustrating an embodiment of thecoupling means.

In the figures, a vehicle 10 which is supported by a cushion ofcompressed air which is developed between the bottom 12 of the vehicleand the base of a trackway 14 having the shape of an inverted T ispropelled along the track 14 by a linear electric motor (not shown), thearmature of which is formed by the protruding plate 16 of the inverted Tof the track 14 which is straddled by the vehicle 10.

Such vehicles, which are well knwon to those skilled in the art, areparticularly suitable for displacement at high speeds which may reachseveral hundred miles per hour, but is understood that the invention isin no way limited to a transportation system of this type and that itapplies to other systems such as those having vehicles having rollingmembers.

The electric motor provided on the vehicle 10 is fed with electriccurrent by a current collecting carriage 18 which slides within a track19 defined by feed conductors in the form of rails 20, 22 and 24 whichextend along and on one side of the single track 14 of the vehicle. Thecarriage 18 which is of symmetrical shape bears current collectingbrushes 21, 23, 25, which slide on the rails 20, 22 and 24 under theaction of springs 27, 29, 31 while assuring the guiding of the carriage18.

The carriage 18 is pulled by the vehicle 10 through link means,represented in the drawing by a simple connecting rod 26 secured to thecarriage 18 at one of its ends, and to a male plug member 28, at theother end, said plug 28 being capable of engaging a female receptacle 30provided for this purpose on the vehicle 10 on each of its side walls.The plug members 28 and 30 are of any desired type, but advantageouslyof the rapidconnecting type which permits easy and rapid connection anddisconnection. The rod 26 and plug member 28 assure the mechanicalcoupling of the collector carriage 18 to the vehicle and also theelectrical connection. To this purpose, a three conductorcable 32connects the contact shoes 21, 23, 25 electrically directly to the inputterminals 34 of the vehicle 10, the cable 32 being incorporated in rod26 and plug 28. The mechanical coupling as shown is rigid, and itsparticular construction does not form part of the invention. It may beadvantageous to equip the coupling means with flexible or swivelconnections allowing a relative movement of carriage 18 with respect tovehicle 10.

Referring to FIG. 3, it is seen that in each end station of the track 14there is provided a turning loop 36 and 38 for the turning of thevehicle 10 and for enabling it to move over the track 14 at all times inforward operation in closed circuit. The track 19 of the carriage 18 isof a finite length corresponding to that of the single track 14.

The operation of the system in accordance with the invention is obviousand will be merely briefly summarized with reference to FIG. 3 in whichthe successive positions of the vehicle are indicated by the letters E,F, G and H.

At the end of the forward travel at position E, the connecting plug 28is disconnected from the receptacle 30 of the vehicle 10 so as todisconnect the carriage 18 from the vehicle 10 which then travels by itsown means or auxiliary means (not shown) over the loop 36 or any otherturning arrangement which brings it back to the point E in reversedposition. The carriage 18 has retained its position and it may be easilyagain connected to the vehicle 10. It will be noted that the plug 28 nowcooperates with the receptacle 30 arranged on the opposite side of thevehicle 10.

The same carriage is not necessarily associated with the same vehicle,particularly when several vehicles travel on the same circuit.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical distribution and current collecting system forpermitting a vehicle to travel on a single track portion of a trackingin either direction with the same end of said vehicle forward and meansfor engaging said vehicle forwardly on said single-track portion at bothends thereof, comprising current carrying conductor means extending ononly one side of said singletrack portion parallel thereto, currentcollecting carriage means movable along said conductor means inelectrical contact relation therewith, electrical and mechanical plug incoupling means on said carriage means for electrical feeding of saidvehicle and for driving of said carriage means by said vehicle,respectively, and mating electrical and mechanical coupling means onboth sides of and on said vehicle for selective coupling with said plugin coupling means according to the direction of movement of said vehicleon said singletrack portion.

1. An electrical distribution and current collecting system forpermitting a vehicle to travel on a single track portion of a trackingin either direction with the same end of said vehicle forward and meansfor engaging said vehicle forwardly on said single-track portion at bothends thereof, comprising current carrying conductor means extending ononly one side of said single-track portion parallel thereto, currentcollecting carriage means movable along said conductor means inelectrical contact relation therewith, electrical and mechanical plug incoupling means on said carriage means for electrical feeding of saidvehicle and for driving of said carriage means by said vehicle,respectively, and mating electrical and mechanical coupling means onboth sides of and on said vehicle for selective coupling with said plugin coupling means according to the direction of movement of said vehicleon said single-track portion.